


Carrion

by the_pale_rider



Category: Horus Heresy - Various Authors, Warhammer 40.000, Warhammer 40k (Novels) - Various Authors
Genre: Blackshield!Raven Guard, Gen, Raven Guard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 17:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6713656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_pale_rider/pseuds/the_pale_rider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Surviving the Dropsite Massacre, a group of Astartes abandon their Legion and attack a target of their own choosing, not caring if they are Loyalist or Traitor. For them, the Emperor's dreams for Mankind have been destroyed by Horus' betrayal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carrion

The squad ghosted through the darkness, darting between pools of shadow. 

They moved with speed and silence that should have been impossible for transhumans. But the Raven Guard, under the tutelage of Lord Corax, had honed their infiltration skills to preternatural levels. They had been renowned amongst the Legiones Astartes as masters of espionage and reconnaissance. 

These skills had counted for naught on the black sands of Istvaan V. Caught in an ambush worthy of their own design, the Legion had been decimated. Thousands had cut down in the opening salvoes and countless more in the following brutal combat. 

***

_“You’re pathetic,” the Sons of Horus legionary sneered, his ceramite boot planted on Kraai’s chest._

_Their ambush had failed. The reavers had turned the trap on his brothers and cut them down. Kraai was injured and pinned, his life in the hands of the arrogant head hunter above him._

_“Look at you,” continued the legionary, gesturing at Kraai’s battered appearance. His armour had been heavily damaged in the fighting and was now a mismatch of scavenged plates, torn from friend and foe alike. “You more like carrion than the oh so noble raven. Skulking around the battlefield, looking for scraps.”_

***

Kraai and his squad moved through the inky blackness of the Imperial refinery. Despite their peerless stealth skills, the sons of Corax did not need to employ them. The hissing, clanking machinery drowned out all other sounds. The Lord of Shadows had not only trained them to cling to the shadows, but to utilise their environment to mask their presence.

But it was too easy. The Skitarri of the Martian Mechanicum were painfully obtuse, their sensors and auspex scanners unable to detect the Astartes as they ghosted past. This raid was the first part of a much larger plan – a plan devised to lure the enemy away from more tempting targets. Once suitably distracted, the Carrion would strike from the shadows and cripple the foe. 

***

_Kraai struggled beneath the weight of the Sons of Horus’ boot. He was severely injured, challenging even his transhuman physiology’s abilities to heal. The traitor had a bolt pistol levelled at him. All his training would count for naught against a bolt to the head. But instead of finishing him, the legionary’s towering arrogance demanded this gloating._

_“Any last words, carrion?” the faceless legionary taunted, pressing the barrel against Kraai’s forehead._

_Kraai noticed a flickering shadow behind the Son of Horus and smiled._

_The traitor did even have time to react. A dark figure materialised behind him, wrenched his head to the left and rammed a combat knife down into the vulnerable rubber seal. The traitor dropped to his knees, choking and clutching at his throat. The attacker drew his own bolt pistol and fired into the legionary’s faceplate. Without giving the corpse a second glance, the figure turned Kraai._

_As soon as the mysterious Astartes had flickered into existence, Kraai knew._

_The silent brotherhood of the XIXth Legion; Shadow Masters; Mor Deythan._

_A whispered open secret amongst the Legion, they were second only to the Raven Lord. Through a quirk of genetics during their transformation, they had inherited Corax’s ability to “Shadow-Walk” – the ability to cloak their presence from the mind of any sentient being. Assigned missions by the Primarch himself, they operated alone and deep in enemy territory, sowing discord and chaos, rarely seen by their brothers._

_The legionary before Kraai exuded the promise of swift and silent death. His armour was dull black, seeming to melt into the gloom. Dirty white raven symbols glinted on the greaves and pauldrons. Totems and talismans hung from thin iron chains; raven skulls and feathers. The helmet was also white and fashioned to mimic a raven skull. A cold, pragmatic intelligence regarded Kraai from the depths of the dark lenses. A dark camo cloak hung around the Mor Deythan, further obscuring his presence._

_“There are more of our brothers at a temporary base in caves north of here.” The Shadow Master’s voice was little more than a whisper, hissing from the vox emitters hidden in his helm. “More traitors will come.”_

_The Mor Deythan turned without another word and disappeared into the encroaching darkness. Istvaan’s sun was setting, taking what little light managed to penetrate the clouds of ash and smoke thrown up from the battle. Perfect hunting conditions for the Raven Guard._

***

They had shed first blood. Normally, this would be a cause for celebration amongst other Legions, a prize that Astartes competed for to earn bragging rights over their brothers. Given their focus on stealth and assassination, the taciturn Raven Guard eschewed this competition. And, in Kraai’s opinion, Skitarri didn’t count.

Nearing the central control shrine of the forge temple, passing through ever increasing levels of security, they had reached the point where stealth would only get them so far. Positioning themselves along the main walkway, the Carrion waited patiently until the Skitarri patrols to change. Striking hard from the shadowed alcoves, Kraai and his brothers dispatched the cyborgs with bolt and chainsword. Leaving nothing but shattered bionics leaking oil and fluid, the Carrion stripped them on anything of use and moved deeper into the complex.

Time was against them now. The remnants of the Mechanicum’s drones would be discovered and the alarm raised. Moving through the corridors press stamped with the Opus Machina, they passed wall mounted servitors droning in binary. Their mission was to destroy the refinery. The resulting fallout would push back production of promethium and further disrupt supply lines. They had already deployed timed explosives throughout the facility during their infiltration. Locating the Magos was the objective of another.

***

The lone Asartes crouched amongst the steel girders high above one of the sub complexes of the forge temple. Reconnaissance had indicated that the Magos toured his domains to supervise the workings of his underlings, to micromanage his tech priests and enforce the importance of their schedules and production quotas. Dogmatic adherence to routine was one of the defining traits of the Cult Mechanicus, and it would prove to the death of this Magos.

Scanning the expanse of the complex, the Astartes watched and waited. The chittering of binary echoed around the facility, announcing the arrival of the Magos and his retinue of attendant tech priests. The group was surrounded by heavily armed Skittari, constantly scanning the perimeter, assessing their surroundings for threats to their charges. The Astartes unslung his custom made sniper rifle and chambered in a round. Raising the rifle and bringing the scope to his eye, he sighted the Magos. One shot, straight through the priest’s skull. 

A deafening roar cut through the rumble of the refinery. Silently, the Mor Deythan cursed. Klaxons wailed and the Magos and his attendants screeched in binary. The Skitarri reacted instantly, drawing close to their master and raising their rifles. They began to move to the exit, no doubt heading for the forge temple for protection. He would have to improvise. He hated improvising.

Rapidly packing away his rifle, he ran along the girders, trusting the din of explosions and sirens to mask any noise. Tracking his target and their likely path, he moved on ahead, seeking to cut them off. Vaulting off the edge, he landed in shadow, his armour absorbing the worst of the impact. Scanning the approaches, he saw he was alone. The chattering of binary heralded the imminent arrival of the Magos. Reaching into his pack, he took out several explosives and quickly deployed them along the walkaway. Returning the darkness, he waited. The Magos and his retinue appeared minutes later. They passed the first set of mines, then the second. 

He thumbed the detonator.

Fire and metal tore through the Skitarri and techpriests. Several were killed outright, leaking blood, oil and fluids across the walkway. He was in amongst them before the smoke had cleared. Levelling his pistol, he fired in quick succession, firing bolts into the heads of any still alive. He moved like a wraith, quickly and silent. Two Skitarri managed to raise their rifles. Both got a combat knife in the skull. 

The Magos was still alive, the ‘blessings’ from his Omnissiah protecting him from the explosives. He advanced, slow and measured. The senior techpriest focused his lenses on him.

“Icons cross-examined with records held by the Adeptus Mechanicus indicate you are a member of XIXth Legions Astartes, designation Raven Guard,” droned the Magos.

“Your information is incorrect Magos,” he replied. “The Raven Guard died on the sands on Istvaan V.”

“Your unprovoked attack on this facility leads me to conclude that you are allied with the Warmaster…”

“No! We do not stand with those who butchered our kin! But we no longer fight for the Imperium. The Emperor’s dream for Mankind is gone, destroyed by Horus!”  
He drew his bolt pistol and aimed at the Magos’ head.

“We are the Carrion, picking at the bones of the Great Crusade. We will fight any who cross us. It was we were created to do, so it is all we have.”

He fired, blasting oil and metal across the walkway. Further explosions rocked the facility; the charges had likely set of a chain reaction across the forge temple and its factories. Activating his auspex, he located the rendezvous point before melting back into the shadows.


End file.
